First Demon Bound To Earth

Who Was Kupala?

The story of Kupala differs widely depending on who you ask. Kupala could be a Slavonic neo-paganisist goddess of herbs, sorcery, procreation, and Midsummer. She is also the Water Mother, associated with trees, herbs, and flowers. In World of Darkness and Vampire the Masquerade Kupala is a demon bound to earth and also a he. Kupala is well connected to Tzimisce, Malkavians and the Salubri.

Kupala started off just like any other demon, only this one possessed the ability to blight and corrupt. Legends of the Tzimisce Clan claim that the eldest, the Tzimisce Antediluvian, met Kupala when he first arrived to Transylvania. Kupala was a slumbering entity, a demon, although it wasn't known at that time. It had been sealed there by the werewolves and Kupala yearned for its freedom. I mean, who wouldn't when you're incarcerated? Kupala offered Tzimisce mystic knowledge in exchange for its freedom, and while the Antediluvian was partially able to complete this task, he wasn't able to fully fulfill his promise.

Art created by Antonio J. Manzanedo

Binding Demons

First off, how do you bind a demon? Few demons were bound in the exact process that Kupala was. Kupala was the first demon that was bound to the earth, and to this day, few are. And you know what the stinker here is? It was rumored that Kupala had a hand in creating the actual process that was used against him. Kupala’s essence was bound to the Carpathian soil, where he is entombed to this day. The area where this bewitching ritual took place is what we would call the Transylvanian Alps in modern days. There was a problem. Because Kupala’s essence was so large, a single mountain could not contain him, so the entirety of the Transylvanian Alps holds the body and the power of this great beast.

Going back to the time of Cain and the first city, Kupala and the werewolves were bitter enemies. If you are not familiar with werewolves or the Garou Nation, they don't like anything; they don't even like each other. In rare occurrences, they can come together for very powerful assaults on large spiritual presences. In a major showdown, the werewolves turned up on mass to attempt a ritual that had never been done before. During this battle on this open field, the Carpathian Mountains—what we call the Transylvanian Alps—did not exist yet.

It was the ritual that held Kupala that created them.

Fagaras Mountains

Now, what is important to know is that demons that are loose on the earth in the World of Darkness, they typically take the form of the following: They are bound to a reliquary, which could be anything—a sword, a stone, a doll (spooky). Another way the demons could exist on earth is through hopping from host to host, in people that become their vessels. And finally, we have what happened to Kupala.

With Kupala, the ritual was dark, and it required an extreme amount of mental acuity as well as ungodly amounts of physical strength. The werewolves sanctified an area. It could have been be a pool or a lake or a temple, but the Garou chose an open field. They affixed the demon’s soul to the earth itself through sheer force of will, all the while these mortal sorcerers bent the earth, forcing the earth apart, wrapping it around Kupala’s physical form and trapping the demon, ensuring that he could not escape. And where once the Carpathian soil sat, now the Transylvanian Alps reached up high into the sky, broken and jagged. The werefolk had won their hard-fought battle against a very powerful demon, and never again would he spread his essence, his blight across the world was over… or was it? Kupala was indeed trapped within the Earth but it would be centuries later when Tzimisce the Antediluvian came into the picture.

Does Binding Demons Change Them?

So what happens to a demon inside of the Earth? As Kupala was to find out, not a lot. The physical has really nothing to do, so it is the mind that has to take charge. Everything has to change for Kupala, trapped physically and mentally within the mountains; goals, tactics, everything. Being trapped within the range means that he is immobile, forced to stay in one location. It means that he wants to test his boundaries, figure out what he can accomplish. To gain followers is usually the only way that he will be able to carry out his wills and desires while stuck in place. Of the very few demons that are Earthbound, none have quite gone to the level of organization that Kupala has.

Most demons look down on humanity, unmoved by their pathetic lives, but Kupala saw them for what they really were; a workforce that could be easily manipulated. Kupala embraced humanity to figure out ways to exert his influence through them. The most prolific way that he influenced the world was through a Shaman Prophet, known as Octavio. Octavio was a Malkavian, vampires that delighted in madness, and his visions heralded dark days ahead. These visions held pictures of the importance of Kupalas rise and his eventual freedom as he consumes everything in Transylvania. Octavio, unfortunately, was not what one would say… bright. He didn’t understand the things he saw and he didn’t pass on correct information, or he just plain old forgot. All bad news for Kupala, but one is only as good as their weakest employee, as it were.

Demons And Vampires, Match Made In Heaven?

Tzimisce himself is said to have been the first of the 3rd generation vampires that were created. He existed before the Deluge, the great flood. Being disenfranchised with the vampires of the First City and with Cain, he decided to leave and explore for himself to see what the world held. And what he found was a city that worshiped Infernals. Intrigued as he was by the concept of demon worship, he was not impressed with their rituals and what they were able to accomplish. The legends say that Tzimisce educated the demon worshipers on how to improve their ways, tying into the Baali history. This leads up to the deal that Tzimisce made with Kupala.

Kupala promised dark knowledge if Tzimisce was to free Kupala from his prison. While Tzimisce was able to assist Kupala in gaining more influence, Kupala was not able to sever the connection that Kupala had with the Carpathian soil. Because Tzimisce could not keep up his end of the bargain, it was said that Kupala had a hand in the Tzimisce Clan’s weakness. Tzimisce did not walk away from this deal without anything to show for it. It is said that he was gifted the Sacred Fire Flower, which can bind loose demons. This magical artifact is said to have influenced the Cathedral of Flesh to consume its methuselah Yorak.

Tzimisce would later be destroyed in the Baali Wars against the Salubri… or was he? If you'd like to learn more about Tzimisce, or anything else in this article, please leave a comment or check out my youtube page! As always, I would like to thank my patrons and all my subscribers to my channel, all of your support is greatly appreciated. My name is Nathaniel, you’ve had a dose of Maple, and I welcome you back to the Table next week!